Leave and let live
by MoVi
Summary: One of Angel’s friends is in danger and an Apocalypse has been announced. Can it be just a coincidence? Written as a script for an ‘A N G E L’ episode and a sequel to ‘Human touch’ and ‘Soft spot’, published on this site on 10/2 and 10/10


Title: Leave and let live   
Summary: One of Angel's friends is in danger and an Apocalypse has been announced. Can it be just a coincidence? Written as a script for an 'A N G E L' episode and a sequel to 'Human touch' and 'Soft spot', published on this site on 10/2 and 10/10.   
Author: MoVi   
Disclaimer: These characters, as well as the episodes to which some of the flashbacks refer, remain the copyrighted property of their owners/creators, it's just that they are SO good that we cannot help imagining them in new situations... The pieces of music mentioned, including the lyrics, are the copyrighted property of their owners/creators.   
Rating: PG-13   
Feedback: welcome!   
Distribution: can we control it? We doubt it. So please just remember who wrote it.   
Time frame: These events might take place 3 months after the end of A-Season 2 and BTVS-Season 5.   
Spoilers: your spoiler warning is in the time frame.   
Dedication: To Joss, David G., David B., Charisma, Alexis, August, Elizabeth, Amy, all the writers, directors and staff who make the show what it is: THANKS!!!   
  
LEAVE AND LET LIVE   
  
Intro   
  
Flashes of images from 'Soft spot'.   
Angel and Kate showering together, hugging and kissing passionately.   
Janeera scratching her wrist with her nail to let it bleed, turning it and letting a few drops of blood fall between the policemen's open lips.   
-Winifred: "Next Friday, at 6.06 p.m., there will be an alignment of 6 planets with a lunar eclipse..."   
-Cordelia: "... here it says they are the demons of the Apocalypse and...we don't have an Apocalypse scheduled ..., do we?"   
-Lilah, showing Kate's picture: "... This is the target, you know what to do."   
-Kate: "... I have suddenly realized that I have a very good friend."   
-Cordelia, with a grimace: "AAHHH, a needle in her arm!"   
-Wesley: "What's happening?"   
-Cordelia: "It's a...it's a kidnapping! A corridor, stairs!"   
-Angel: "Can you see the kidnappers?"   
-Cordelia: "No, they are wearing surgical masks. They are at the apartment's door..."   
-Angel: "Whose apartment? Who do they want to kidnap?"   
-Cordelia: "Oh, my God! No, no! Oh, no, not her...no!"   
-Angel : "Who is it? Cordy, speak to me! Who are they kidnapping? Do you know her?"   
-Cordelia, terrified, sadly recovering from her vision: "I do, and .. you know her, too..."   
-Angel, upset: "Kate!"   
Break.   
  
Hall of the Hyperion hotel: Angel is standing behind Cordelia, still shocked by her vision.   
-Cordelia: "Poor Kate, I've felt her pain, she's trying to react, but the drug they have given her prevents her from moving."   
-Wesley: "Have you seen the face of the kidnappers?"   
-Cordelia: "No, there were three of them... but I fear it's too late!"   
-Angel : "Too late?"   
-Cordelia: "She was already unconscious when they dragged her away, I'm sure. Ohhhh, my poor head!"   
Fred timidly hands her a glass of water.   
-Angel: "I'm off!"   
-Cordelia (as if she were a radio speaker): "It's half past twelve of a beautiful, sunny day here in California..."   
-Angel : "I cannot wait!". He throws the car's keys to   
-Gunn: "OK, I'll drive!"   
-Wesley: "Be careful, they could still be around to spy on us!"   
Angel gives Wesley a significant glance.   
  
Cut to Kate's apartment building. Angel and Gunn appear on the landing in front of Kate's apartment, where some neighbors have gathered.   
-Angel, speaking to an old lady: "What's happened?"   
-Neighbor: "Oh yes, poor girl, so young...a rare brain disease, this is what the first-aid doctor said."   
-Gunn: "There were first-aid doctors?"   
-Neighbor: "Yeah, I heard her scream, you know? She must have felt a terrible pain, that poor girl! I was about to call for help myself, but when I opened the door, the doctors were already here, maybe she called them when she felt the pain..."   
Angel is observing some streaks on the corridor's floor, then he tries to open Kate's door but finds it locked. He takes a bunch of keys from his pocket, opens the door and goes in.   
-Gunn: "Did they tell you to what hospital they were taking her?"   
-Neighbor: "No, unfortunately Miss Lockley was unconscious when they got her into the ambulance and I didn't see the name of the hospital, neither on the vehicle, nor on the doctors' white coats, I'm sorry."   
-Gunn: "Thanks anyway."   
Cut to inside Kate's apartment. Gunn enters and finds Angel in the bedroom.   
-Angel: "She never came in, everything is just as we left it yesterday before the appointment with the informer."   
-Gunn: "Hey! How come you've got the keys?"   
-Angel: "This is Kate's spare bunch, she gave it to me so that I won't have to break the lock in case of emergency..."   
-Gunn: "What a crazy idea!!"   
-Angel looks at Gunn with a serious look: "It's already happened...."   
-Gunn: "I see... and what about those signs on the floor?"   
-Angel: "It must have been the stretcher's wheels. From the smell, it's grass..."   
-Gunn, with an astonished air: "A hospital with an entrance from a garden?"   
  
Opening Credits   
  
Afternoon at the Hyperion: Angel and Gunn come in, Wesley and Cordelia are on the phone calling the hospitals.   
-Angel: "Guys, forget about the hospitals! We're wasting time! Even if she really was in a hospital, she wouldn't be there under her true name. We're never going to find her that way."   
-Cordelia: "So where do we start? If we cannot find her in time, they could kill her!"   
-Wesley: "If they wanted to kill her, they would have already done it."   
-Gunn: "And I don't want to hurry nobody, but if they want to trigger off an Apocalypse the day after tomorrow...it's not like we have much time."   
-Wesley: "The demons they might have evoked require blood rituals and are necrophagous. I'd say a hospital is the best place where you can get both things ready at hand..."   
-Gunn: "Necro..what???"   
-Cordelia: "Necrophagous, brother. It means they feed on dead bodies."   
-Angel. "Are you saying they might have taken Kate to the same place where they intend to evoke those demons?"   
Wesley gives him a sad look, without answering.   
-Angel: "We must understand why they took her, whether to distract me from their plans or because they were after her. If they want me to look for her, they won't kill her, but if they have taken her for the ritual, we don't have much time. We must split up."   
-Wesley: "Gunn and Cordelia will continue the research focusing on buildings owned by Wolfram & Hart... especially desolate buildings... maybe with an abandoned wing, an unused basement...something like that."   
-Angel: "And an entrance from a garden ..."   
-Cordelia: "What about you and Angel? What are you going to do?"   
The two men exchange a meaningful look.   
-Angel : "We will try to find out if we are really going towards an Apocalypse! You haven't seen any demons in your vision, the biggest danger you've felt was Kate being kidnapped!"   
  
Cut to the "Caritas". A new karaoke system is being installed. Host sees Wesley and Angel come in and goes to meet them.   
-Host: "You're a bit early for the inauguration, my friends! In an hour or so, this new system will shake the walls, especially if Angel wants to try it!"   
-Angel: "I haven't the slightest intention to try it!"   
-Host, with a solemn air: "Mercy is a great virtue, thank you, brother!" He turns towards one of the workers: "No, wait, I want to check those connections before you close the box!"   
-Wesley, looking at Angel: "He doesn't look worried at all..."   
-Host, who has heard him: "Should I be worried? About what? The club has been renovated, the system is almost finished, the cocktails are excellent and my friends are right in front of me..."   
-Wesley: "But...what about the Apocalypse? Friday's astral conjunction?"   
-Host: "Oh, right! The red moon... only silly superstitions!"   
-Angel: "Wolfram & Hart have kidnapped a friend of mine and...."   
-Host, with a more serious tone: "That is a nasty problem. But it's a problem that only you will be able to solve, Angel!"   
-Angel: "Are they after me or after her? Give me that much!"   
-Host: "Gimme, gimme! Is it the only refrain that you can sing? And it's not even new!" Then he sees Angel's worried expression and adds in a softer tone: "My dear broody boy, the two go together, can't you see?"   
-Wesley: "I think we should go now, Angel."   
Angel and Wesley leave the Caritas, while Host follows them with a thoughtful look until they disappear from his sight.   
  
Wesley and Angel are in Angel's convertible.   
-Wesley: "At least now we know there is no Apocalypse in sight! It's those damned lawyers again weaving their vicious plots! They seem to have a hand in every dirty activity in this city! From charity to homicides, from wizards to doctors..."   
Angel slams on the brakes and stops the car in front of a travel agency. We blend into a shot of him and Lindsay questioning the parole officer, when the young lawyer mentioned the name of the clinic where he had his hand transplant: the Fairfield Clinic.   
-Angel: "I know where they took her!"   
  
Images of L.A. from night to day.   
  
Cordelia and Fred, dressed as nurses, enter the Fairfield Clinic. Fred takes a big cart and they proceed towards the basement.   
Cut to a long corridor in the basement. Cordelia sees a yawning guard come out of a room. The two women look at each other and open a closet, loading the cart with linen until the man has walked past them.   
-Fred: "Cordy, I don't know if I can do this..."   
-Cordelia: "Stay calm and don't worry! You don't need to do anything. I will do, you will just stand and watch..."   
Cordelia cautiously opens the door of the room the guard has just left.   
Cut to inside. She finds herself in a small control room, with several monitors on a big desk. On one of the monitors she clearly sees Kate lying on a bed for violent, mentally disturbed inmates, her arms and legs strapped to it. Then her attention is drawn to another monitor, showing Lilah speaking with two doctors and another guy, the same vampire dressed like a bodyguard to whom the lawyer commissioned Kate's kidnapping. Behind them, Cordelia sees a strange, horrible creature, partially lying on a comfortable armchair, and two policemen guarding the door. She turns the volume knob under the monitor.   
-Lilah: "Don't forget to offer the best treatment to our venerable guests: they always feast at dawn, don't be late!"   
-Doctor: "At 5.30 sharp, as requested."   
-Lilah, while she leaves the room: "Good. As far as the woman is concerned..."   
Cordelia desperately turns up the volume, but she cannot hear the end of the sentence.   
Cut to Fred outside, keeping watch in the corridor. She sees Lilah come out of a door with the two doctors. Pale with fear, she turns around and starts putting the linen they have just piled on the cart back into the closet. While they walk past her she hears Lilah's voice saying   
-Lilah: "...keep her on a light narcotic until Friday afternoon, then an assistant of mine and her staff will give her eternal life, like her colleagues. She is perfect for us because she was instructed as a leader."   
-Second doctor: "Shall we send you the videorecording, as agreed?"   
-Lilah, giving the bodyguard a significant look: "My assistant here will take care of it, he will escort the body until her awakening." Then, speaking to the vampire: "Contact your Sire and her court, bring my regards to her and inform her of the time of the ceremony."   
The small group turns the corridor's corner, disappearing from Fred's view.   
Cordelia comes out of the monitors' room, takes Fred's hand and together they proceed towards the exit in the opposite direction. The guard who left the monitor's room at the beginning of the scene appears around the corner which Lilah and the small group have just turned, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.   
  
Cut to outside the hospital. Cordelia and Fred get into a van. Gunn is behind the wheel, Wesley is sitting next to him, Angel is in the windowless rear.   
-Cordelia: "I've seen Kate, she's alive. Her room is monitored with a closed-circuit television system. And in another room there was Lilah, some doctors and a horrible, disgusting... 'thing'...like a huge, black snail..."   
-Wesley: "So they have already evoked at least one of the demons!"   
-Angel: "But we still don't know what they want to do with Kate!"   
-Fred timidly, with frightened eyes: "I... I think I know"   
Everybody turns and looks at her.   
Break   
  
Gunn and Angel are in the van in front of the hospital, they see Lilah speak to the vampire bodyguard in the shadow of the clinic's porch, then she gets into a limo and leaves.   
  
A red sunset on L.A.   
  
Angel and Gunn are still waiting in the van, which is now parked behind some thick bushes hiding an entrance to the clinic's basement from the garden. The vampire comes out of the clinic, gets into a car and drives off. They follow him and they come to Janeera and her partner's new hideout. They wait outside while the vampire enters.   
Cut to a few minutes later. The camera shows the lower part of the van in the foreground and the vampire's car further away: we see the vampire come out, get into his car and leave. In the foreground, the van's door opens and Angel's feet appear. As he proceeds towards the storehouse's entrance, we see his whole figure joined by Gunn's as they both walk towards the building.   
  
Cut to the Hyperion's hall. Angel and Gunn come in, pushing their prisoners, Janeera and her friend, in front of them. They tie them with chains to the reception's pillar and they proceed to Wesley's office where the rest of the team is waiting for them.   
We get glimpses of the long meeting, but we don't get to hear what is being said. "I never thought that you would come", by Loni Rose, plays in the background.   
Lyrics: I've been watching the sunrise whether you are the sunset   
The camera shows from above Wesley standing up and speaking to the team;   
Lyrics: And I thought our faces would meet   
then Cordelia and Angel in animated conversation from a different angle;   
Lyrics: But now that I found you / like a wave on the sound you've washed my fears away   
it pans up again to show Gunn coming back into the office with some cups of coffee on a tray;   
Lyrics: I never thought that you would come / I never thought that I could love like this   
then it shows Fred nervously shaking her head in denial, with Cordy reaching out to lay her hand on the young woman's shoulder, speaking with a reassuring expression.   
Lyrics: This feeling inside me is growing / I never thought that you would come   
Finally, the camera is on Wesley again.   
-Wesley: "So everybody is clear on their role?"   
They all answer "Yeah", except Angel. They look at him. He has his back turned on them, his hands braced against the filing cabinet.   
-Angel, finally turning towards them, after a beat: "Yeah."   
  
  
Cut to Angel's suite. Angel is sitting in the dark in an armchair, they have all gone to get some rest except Wesley, who is guarding the two vampires in the hall, and Cordelia, who pops up at the door.   
-Angel: "Cordelia, you're still here."   
-Cordelia: "I just wanted to see if... Are you OK?"   
-Angel: "Yeah." He rises from the armchair and takes a few steps towards her. "Cordy, you said before that Kate seemed all-right..."   
-Cordelia: "Yes."   
-Angel: "So she was awake... she was not unconscious, or dozing?"   
-Cordelia: "Her eyes were open."   
-Angel: "Did you have the feeling that she was lucid, that she understood what was happening around her?"   
-Cordelia: "I... I'm not sure. She was still and looked calm, I couldn't say if it was the effect of some tranquillizer or of self-control. She was so scared when they kidnapped her, terrified. But she is a cop, she is used to tackle difficult and dangerous situations, right? I'm sure she will manage."   
-Angel: "I need her to be wide awake tomorrow, she must understand right away what she must - and mustn't - do..."   
-Cordelia's face brightens in a sweet smile: "She will. She knows you, right? And she trusts you..."   
-Angel, with a thankful smile. "You shouldn't go home alone at this time of the night."   
-Cordelia, pointing towards the door: "I have no intention to. I'm calling a taxi."   
-Angel: "I'll drive you home."   
-Cordelia: "But it's really not necessary..."   
-Angel: "We must all be careful. And anyway, I'm not sleepy."   
They both leave the room.   
Break   
  
Cordelia's apartment. The door opens and Cordelia appears on the threshold.   
-Cordelia, with a singing voice: "I'm home! And... I have a guest, it's Angel, so everything is OK, Dennis..."   
Angel appears behind her with a half amused, half cautious expression. He closes the door behind him.   
-Angel: "So our friend here has behaved himself recently?"   
-Cordelia: "Totally. Like the true gentleman he is. Now that you've come all the way to take me home, let me offer you something... you haven't eaten anything all day! Let me see if I have some O-pos in the fridge..."   
-Angel, a surprised expression on his face: "You have O-pos in the fridge?"   
-Cordelia, with a half smile: "Just a 'special reserve' to offer to...friends!"   
Angel cannot help smiling in turn. She puts her bag and keys on the living room table and disappears in the kitchen.   
Angel looks around, as though he were not sure where to fix his gaze.   
-Angel: "So, Dennis, that black eye was just an accident...You would never hurt her, right?"   
-Cordelia, from the kitchen: "Microwave 100 degrees is all right? You can always allow it to cool a bit..."   
-Angel : "OK!" Then he goes on, slowly walking around and looking at the walls: "We would never let anything happen to her, wouldn't we? I'll protect her when she is with me, and you will take care of her here at home. Deal?"   
One of the drawers of the sideboard opens and closes with a bang.   
-Angel: "I assume that will be a 'yes'..."   
Cordelia walks in from the kitchen with a big glass full of dark red liquid on a tray.   
-Cordelia: "What was that noise?" She does not give Angel the time to answer and smiles at him: "Were you talking?"   
-Angel: "Nope."   
-Cordelia: "So why don't you sit down a minute and have dinner?"   
Break.   
  
Angel is in the car alone, driving back to the Hyperion. "Crawling", by Linkin Park, plays in the background. Images of Angel driving along the desert night streets, one hand on the wheel, the other arm resting on the car door, alternate with images showing his thoughts.   
Flashback of Cordelia screaming at the hospital, her mind bombarded by painful, incessant visions.   
Lyrics: Crawling in my skin / These wounds they will not heal   
Flashback of Angel and Kate meeting at the D'oblique nightclub, and of Kate making her appearance at the Natural History Museum, gun in hand, with Angel walking towards her, hands up.   
Lyrics: Fear is how I fall / Confusing what is real   
Flashback of Kate crying at her father's retirement party, and of Angel looking at her meet her father at her desk at the police station.   
Lyrics: There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface / Consuming, confusing Flashback of Kate dusting Penn through Angel's stomach and of Kate crying on the floor next to her dead father.   
Lyrics: This lack of self-control I fear is never ending / Controlling, I can't seem   
Flashback of Kate lying unconscious next to the telephone, and of Angel reviving her under the shower.   
Lyrics: to find myself again / my walls are closing in   
Flashback of Kate and Angel speaking on the Hyperion's porch, Kate standing up and giving Angel a quick hug.   
Lyrics: I've felt this way before / So insecure   
Flashback of Kate and Angel making love. Angel suddenly brakes and stops the car.   
Lyrics: Crawling in my skin / These wounds they will not heal   
He looks dejected as if he were on the point of bursting into tears.   
  
Cut to the Hyperion's hall. Wesley is guarding the two chained vampires, Fred is with him.   
Angel gives Wesley a questioning look.   
-Wesley: "Everything is under control, you seem the only one who's restless..."   
-Angel, with a grimace: "I'll stay here, Wes. Go home and get some rest, tomorrow will be a long day."   
-Wesley: "Actually, it would be your turn to rest...."   
-Angel: "You know I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway..."   
-Wesley: "All right, then. Gunn will be here in four hours... Fred, wouldn't you like to go upstairs and get some sleep as well?"   
Fred is about to start towards the stairs but looks undecided, she shifts her gaze repeatedly from the stairs to Angel and seems unable to decide whether to go or stay.   
-Angel: "If you don't want to go.... you could keep me company, Fred."   
-Fred's eyes brighten and she nods, slightly embarrassed, saying: "I'll stay."   
Wesley checks the vampires' chains and leaves, while Angel goes and fetch two cups of coffee, comes back and hands one to Fred. They sit on the armchairs in the hall.   
-Fred looks at Angel's worried face and says softly: "Everything will be all right."   
-Angel: "I'm not so sure, I'm not sure at all! It's ME I'm not sure about, you see?"   
-Fred, smiling timidly: "Oh, but you are the most reliable man I know..."   
-Angel looks at her in the eyes: "Wrong! I'm...not a man, Fred. I'm a vampire!"   
-Fred: "But ...your self-control ...you've proven it so many times..."   
-Angel interrupts her: "Do you have any idea what it means to have a vampire's senses? Human senses are nothing in comparison! I can feel your body's warmth without touching it, I can see in the depth of your eyes, I can hear the artery pulse on your neck, I can smell blood from a distance....and I fear what I have to do tomorrow will be just too much to bear. Not to mention the fact that she must immediately grasp the situation and follow my instructions, which I will have no time to give, otherwise,.... otherwise....oh, God, I don't want to even think about it!". Angel shudders at the idea.   
-Fred, extremely calm: "It won't happen... Her instincts will guide her and you... you will be able to control both of you."   
Angel lowers his eyes on his coffee's cup. The moment of tension seems over.   
-Angel: "You know why I drink coffee?"   
-Fred, smiling: "No. I've often asked myself, and I don't think you drink it to stay awake..."   
-Angel, smiling in turn: "No, you're right." Then he resumes, in a serious tone: "I drink it because it tastes of "life", it gives me pleasure. Smelling its aroma or simply holding the warm cup in my hands is so comforting! I find its taste nauseating, but its warmth in my stomach, well....you have no idea how it feels! Can you understand what I mean now?"   
Fred stands up and, without speaking, lays a hand on his shoulder and presses it gently. Angel closes his eyes and leans his cheek on her arm for an instant, then Fred takes her hand away and silently slides off.   
  
Images of shift from night to day.   
  
Afternoon, Hyperion's hall. Gunn is walking around the chained vampire with a pointed stake in his hands. Angel and Janeera are wearing wide, black hooded capes, Wesley a doctor's white coat with a stethoscope around the neck, Fred and Cordelia are in their nurse's uniforms.   
-Angel: "Half an hour: we'll go to Janeera's hideout and wait for Lilah's minion, we'll meet again at the clinic."   
-Wesley to Angel, pointing at Janeera: "Don't you think she could play a dirty trick on us?"   
Janeera looks towards Angel with a frightened air.   
-Angel: "I don't think so, she knows Gunn's determination too well!"   
Gunn, with an evil smile, plays with the stake as if he were a juggler.   
  
Cut to Fairfield Clinic. A doctor and two nurses are waiting at the side entrance next to an empty stretcher. The vampire bodyguard leads two hooded figures, together they enter and proceed towards the basement, followed by the three medical staff.   
Cut to the monitors' room. Close-up of one of the monitors, connected to a VCR, where we see what happens in room no. 4. Only the two hooded figures enter the room. Kate is still strapped to the bed but is now restless, desperately trying to free herself. When one of them lifts the arms in an invocation to the demons, we see part of Janeera's face beneath the hood. The other vampire bends on a now terrified Kate, and when he straightens back up seconds later, the camera pans closer to Kate's face. She now looks semi-unconscious, with the bite mark clearly visible on her neck. Then we see Janeera undo the straps that hold Kate, who is brought to a sitting position, with Janeera holding her from behind. The other vampire bites his wrist and firmly presses it against Kate's mouth. The scene becomes even more violent when the vampire grabs Kate by the hair and suddenly pulls her away from his wrist. Kate falls down, lifeless, on the bed, her face stained with blood. In the meantime, Janeera has opened the door to let in the two nurses pushing the stretcher and the doctor, who lifts Kate's body, lies it on the stretcher, auscultates her breast with the stethoscope and then beckons the nurses to carry her away. The camera shows one of the two nurses' face: it's Fred. She delicately cleans Kate's mouth while the other nurse carefully covers her body with a white cloth.   
Break.   
  
The vampire bodyguard is waiting in the corridor, he lets the group pass while he stops in front of the monitors' room door. The door opens and a hand gives him a videocassette.   
  
Cut to outside the clinic, at the ambulance entrance. It is now past sunset. The vampire bodyguard sits behind the wheel of the ambulance, where the doctor and nurses have loaded the stretcher with Kate's body. The two hooded figures step in next to her.   
Wesley, Cordelia and Fred get into Angel's car, which is parked not far away, and start to take off their uniforms while they drive off at high speed.   
Break   
  
The ambulance has come to a stop next to a side entrance to Wolfram & Hart's building: the vampire bodyguard hands a package to one of the doormen and drives off.   
Break.   
  
The ambulance reaches Janeera's hideout. As soon as the vampire bodyguard gets out of the vehicle, Wesley comes out of the shadow and stakes him. Then he slips into the driving seat and immediately turns towards Angel.   
-Angel: "She will be fine, she didn't drink. And neither did I."   
Wesley, looking relieved, starts the engine and leaves the dark alley, followed by Angel's Thunderbird, now driven by Cordelia.   
  
Summarizing sequence of quick images.   
  
Cut to Angel's suite. Angel is sitting on his bed, with Kate curled up against his chest. He is gently stroking her head and shoulders.   
-Kate: "I feel so tired."   
-Angel lightly touches the bite mark on her neck: "Kate, I'm so sorry..."   
-Kate: "You had no other choice! It's already unbelievable that we are here to talk about it... Once again, I owe you my life. You think you've hurt me because of who you are? The truth is, you've saved me thanks to who you are..."   
-Angel, after a moment of silence: "Do you love me, Kate?"   
-Kate, after a beat: "Yeah, I love you." Then she quickly adds: "I know I have no right to, but..."   
-Angel interrupts her: "And you don't mind that I don't?"   
-Kate, with a serene gaze. "But you do. As you have always loved and protected me, right from the day when we met in that club. As you love and protect the people you try to save every day. I don't think you realize how much love you give to everyone around you."   
-Angel, with a soft tone: "You know that this is not good?"   
-Kate: "What? My loving you?"   
-Angel: "No. Your coming closer and closer. We can make love, or we can be friends. But we do both, and the danger is just too high."   
-Kate: "Are you going to ask me what side of the relationship I would choose?"   
Angel doesn't answer. Kate slowly slips under the bed sheets.   
-Kate, her eyes already closed: "Can I tell you tomorrow?"   
  
Cut to next morning. A van not far from the Fairfield Clinic: it's 05.15, the sun has not yet risen. Fred and Cordelia are in the van, with Janeera bound and gagged, moaning.   
-Cordelia: "Shut up or I'll tighten the rope even more!"   
-Fred: "Why does she moan so?"   
-Cordelia: "She is afraid for her friend, she can smell the sunrise."   
-Fred : "Will they make it before the first sun rays?"   
-Cordelia: "Yes, I think we are sharp on time! They cannot take long: they only have 15 minutes!"   
  
Cut to inside the clinic. Kate enters from the main entrance: a martial bearing, her head up, a cool gaze, she leads Angel and Janeera's friend in their long hooded capes.   
  
Cut to the corridor in the basement. Kate and her two assistants meet Gunn and Wesley, dressed as hospital porters, a huge food cart in front of them.   
-Angel, barely distinguishable under the hood, whispers: "Any problems with the cart?"   
-Gunn, in the same tone: "Everything has gone smoothly: we are ten minutes ahead, the porters have not yet begun their shift."   
-Kate: "Let's go!"   
Kate enters room no. 1.   
-Kate: "Jo, Ben, everything OK?"   
-Jo: "It was a quiet night. If it weren't for this thirst which is plaguing me, I'd say this job is a cinch!"   
-Kate: "Here's the food cart: you two, come in!" Then, speaking to the hooded figures: "And you, priests, assist our guest!"   
We see Gunn and Wesley prepare, not without grimaces of disgust, an enormous plate full of human remains, while Angel, unseen, places a small explosive charge under the armchair where a slimy being is lying, with no eyes and ears, but with a big, gaping mouth and greedy paws which are already reaching out to the plate.   
-Kate to one of the two vampire cops: "Ben, why don't you go upstairs and ask for six blood bags? Bring them down here, I'll tell the others to come and fetch them, obviously in turn." Not surprisingly, the vampire immediately obeys.   
-Kate: "Very well. We've finished here, let's go to the next room!"   
The small group leaves the first room, dragging the big cart with them.   
Kate locks eyes with Angel, who nods. She enters room no.2, saluting her former colleagues.   
-Kate: "Tony, Roger, everything all right? Meal distribution: while I'm here, you could join your colleagues in room no. 1, they have some rations for you."   
-Tony: "Thanks, Kate. We'll be back in a minute!"   
-Kate: "No problem!"   
The two cops quickly leave.   
Kate beckons to the two hooded figures, who walk to the second demon. While they move it towards the table where Gunn and Wesley have laid the big plate, we see Angel's hand place another charge under the chair.   
The two policemen are back and the porters push the cart out of the room.   
-Roger: "Here we are!"   
-Kate: "Everything in order. You're back on duty!"   
They are all back in the corridor. Stepping in front of the third door, Kate draws a deep breath.   
-Kate: "What time is it?"   
-Wesley: "05.25: the porters will soon start looking for the cart."   
-Angel: "Kate, you're doing fine. Let's go, this is the last room."   
-Kate, going in: "Hi Bob, Jonathan, meal cart: you can join Jo in room no. 1 to fetch your rations!"   
Bob, stepping towards Kate: "Kate, you know I've never taken orders from you..."   
-Kate, in a cold tone: "Then you'll have to get used to it, quickly: this company won't have any insubordination!"   
-Bob: "I don't give a damn about the company, baby. I've always wished we could...get on friendlier terms... and I think this might be just the right occasion..." Now he is dangerously close, bullying her. "We are two animals now..." He vamps out and stops in front of her. "Do you like my new face? Show me yours!"   
Kate promptly dodges her former colleague, while Angel thrusts a stake into his heart. She takes an axe from under Angel's cape and rushes at the demon, but as soon as she deals the first blow, the horrible creature lets out a dreadful cry and "melts", starting to vanish like water under the doors and between the floor tiles. Wesley takes Jonathan by surprise by throwing a steel tray at him, which beheads him, but only after he has pushed the alarm button. Seeing that Wesley, Kate and Angel are still looking at the last traces of the demon disappearing through the floor, Janeera's friend attempts to flee, but Gunn promptly grabs him and rams a stake through his back, dusting him.   
Angel: "LET'S GO!!!"   
  
Cut to a corridor. Wesley, Gunn, Angel and Kate are running towards the side exit, while a few security guards are chasing them. Angel drops the last explosive charge on the floor. Running at breakneck speed, Wesley shouts: "15 seconds!"   
-Angel: "10!"   
-Kate: "5!"   
Cut to the van.   
-Cordelia, holding a remote control unit in her hand: "05.30! Go!". And she pushes the red button.   
Cut back to the clinic.   
-Gunn: "JUMP!!!!"   
The four of them dive out of the door, landing on the lawn outside.   
The three synchronized charges blow up the lower floors of the building, while the first sun rays appear on the horizon.   
Cordelia drives the van through the garden at high speed, Fred opens the side door and helps Angel, Kate, Gunn and Wesley get in. Taking advantage of the confusion, Janeera has managed to free herself and leaps out of the van at the last minute. While they close the van door, Gunn and Angel see her run towards the clinic and catch fire in the sun before she can reach a shelter.   
Break   
  
Hyperion hall. Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn are collecting their things, getting ready to go home.   
-Wesley, patting Angel on the shoulder: "So we made it, again! I guess we've earned a good night's... well, actually...day's rest."   
-Cordelia: "We most certainly have! Where's Fred?"   
-Angel: "She's gone to her room."   
-Cordelia: "Right, ready to go. Do you need a lift, Kate? Gunn is driving me home and we...can..." Cordelia interrupts herself with an embarrassed expression, realizing she might have said the wrong thing. "Right. This is us, we're going."   
She turns towards the door and Gunn joins her.   
-Gunn: "You never think before speaking, hmm, Princess?" She looks at him with wide, innocent eyes, but he laughs, passes his arm around her shoulder and walks with her towards the exit.   
The camera pans on Kate, who cannot suppress a smile. Nonetheless, she quickly checks herself and looks at Angel. Now they are alone in the hall, because Wesley has followed Gunn and Cordelia out of the building.   
-Kate: "I can go home tonight. I think the danger is over."   
-Angel: "For now. But you can stay here as long as you wish."   
-Kate: "You know that's not true." She pauses, then resumes: "I'm leaving town, Angel. I have this cousin who lives in Ireland, I never had the chance to visit her because I was always working, so now I guess it's a good time..."   
-Angel: "When?"   
-Kate: "As soon as possible, the first convenient flight. We've come to a dead end here, it's better this way."   
-Angel, after a pause: "Stay here tonight, then."   
-Kate: "I thought you said..."   
-Angel interrupts her, lifting her from the ground: "Not with the thought of a separation in mind."   
-Kate, while Angel is carrying her towards the stairs: "Gosh! I must be the only woman on this planet who must try NOT to make her... whatever... happy if she wants to have him!"   
-Angel, who is now climbing the stairs: "I wouldn't have risked it if you were not about to leave, not tonight, not anymore." The camera follows them upstairs and along the corridor on the second floor.   
-Kate, rising her hand to touch his cheek: "...and who can measure her... man's attachment by his not wanting her close."   
They have now come to Angel's suite's door and go in.   
Cut to Angel's suite. Angel sets Kate back down on her feet.   
-Angel: "Her...man..."   
-Kate: "Well, sounds better than her 'whatever'..."   
-Angel, gently stroking her hair: "Gosh, Kate, we've come a long way..."   
-Kate, pressing her body to his and lifting her hands to his neck: "I'd love to hear that story, but not right now..."   
They kiss and Angel lifts her again to carry her to the bed. They both fall back onto the bed and strip off each other's clothes.   
Break.   
  
Angel and Kate are lying on the bed, Angel on his back, Kate on her side, her arms across his chest. She looks thoughtful.   
-Kate, in a whisper: "Tell me, just once."   
-Angel: "What?"   
-Kate: "That I could have made you happy."   
-Angel: "You know." She looks up at him and their eyes meet. He adds, softly: "You have."   
-Kate, letting out her breath, satisfied: "Thank you." Then she goes on, in a lighter tone: "So do you think it was a mistake for me to go for the demon with your axe? I mean, I know the plan was to blow it up with the other two but..."   
-Angel: "True, you didn't stick to the plan..." He smiles when she gives him a surprised look: "You were great! Considering all you've gone through over these last 48 hours..."   
-Kate, in a somewhat childish, half-amused tone: "Right! Being kidnapped, held captive, bitten by a big, bad vampire... I don't know, though... becoming a vampire myself couldn't have been so bad... better than being a meal for that ugly, slimy, huge snail, anyway!"   
-Angel chuckles: "Can't you behave like a good girl for once?"   
-Kate, pretending she didn't hear and still following her train of thoughts: "I could have bitten you back, to be even, you know..."   
The camera pans out as they go on chatting and chuckling in bed.   
  
Cut to Lilah's office at Wolfram & Heart's.   
Lilah is still watching the video of Kate's "initiation" which was recorded at the clinic.   
-Nathan Reed, from behind her shoulders: "Good! We've obtained the best results!"   
-Lilah, surprised: "What? I thought..."   
-Reed: "In one way or another, Angel always works for us!"   
-Lilah, with a bitter expression: "I wanted to destroy him, once and for all, using his own feelings against him!"   
-Reed, with a quiet, sly air: "Things may have failed to turn out the way you wanted, Lilah, but, believe me,... this is much better! Angel angered the fiercest demon, Hate. Do you really think it will let him get away with it? I don't think so. So I'd say... mission accomplished!"   
  
  
END OF EPISODE   
  
  
  
1   
  
  



End file.
